Red Dog Saloon to stay open all winter
After years of catering primarily to Juneau's summer tourists, the Red Dog Saloon is under new ownership and ready to fully embrace the locals. This year the bar and restaurant will be open all winter, offering good food and music - and the largest television screen in town.

You can't drive to Juneau from Canada
In the Dec. 10 front page Ketchikan Daily News article, "Palin compares Alaska, Canada," Palin shows how out of touch she is with Southeast Alaska and Alaska in general.

Give this season
Once again, it is that very important time of year that we avow our thanks that we live in Juneau and enjoy the many blessings our community affords. One way to express our gratitude is to be aware of those who are in need. As the holidays unfold and the temperatures drop to winter solstice levels, we should reflect on and give support to the social service agencies under the umbrella of our United Way.

Two boys shot in Valley
Two boys were hospitalized after being struck by a single bullet fired from a .44-caliber Magnum on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent accident at a Mendenhall Valley home, police said.

Suspicious powder sparks evacuation
Authorities evacuated a state office building at 240 Main St. in downtown Juneau on Tuesday evening, after a clerk in the third-floor mail room opened a letter addressed to the governor's office containing white powder.

Palin welcomes Juneau to Governor's Mansion
Thrilled to live in a city and state small enough where people can get to know their governor personally, Juneau residents and visitors lined up Tuesday for the annual governor's open house.

FBI widens investigation into suspicious letters
Initial tests of the suspicious white powder sent to the Alaska governor's office did not indicate any danger, though a more thorough analysis in Anchorage was underway Wednesday, officials said. Meanwhile, the FBI's investigation continues to widen as more governors' offices report receiving similar letters.

Bartlett receives expansion approval
State regulators have approved a further renovation and expansion at Bartlett Regional Hospital that's hoped will help boost business and keep patients in town.

Economy necessitates changes at Empire
Starting with today's newspaper, Juneau Empire readers will begin to see a series of changes that will be gradually introduced to print editions in the next few weeks.

Photo: Break in the storm
Mike Tobin takes advantage of a break in the weather Wednesday to take a walk along the Auke Rec beach. A winter weather advisory has been issued until noon today, with 2 to 5 inches of snow expected.

Photo: Making way for parking garage
Employees of Southeast Earthmovers remove multiple big rubber mats used to contain rock fragments Wednesday during blasting downtown. The work is being done to prepare the site at Telephone Hill for a parking garage and transit center. The company is using a whistle system to alert the public when it will blast. One long whistle means preparing to blast, two long whistles mean ready to blast and three short whistles mean "all clear."

Crews working to repair power lines through night
Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. reported sporadic power outages, particularly in the Mendenhall Valley and out the road as a result of snow and fallen trees from the storm that dumped up to 19 inches on parts of Juneau through Tuesday morning.

A look at what's to come
It's the holiday season, and everybody has a ton of stuff on their minds. What do Mom and Dad need for Christmas? What do you want for Christmas? How do you stomach the annoying drunken stupor of your uncle this year? It should therefore be assumed that some things will slip your mind in the coming weeks.

'Changeling' a hard story to shake
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Clint Eastwood knows, and in the brooding, disturbing "Changeling," he puts that knowledge on screen and combines it with a testament to the strength of a mother's hope and love.

The mirror of the medicine wheel
So the reign of Hooligan is coming to a close. For some, that is good news, for others it is not. As a writer for the Hooligan from its first pages, I've been privy to a spectrum of comments from readers who have hated it and slammed it, and those who have loved it and supported it.

David 'Jake' Ramsay
Former Juneau resident David "Jake" Ramsay died Dec. 3, 2008, at his home in Clinton, Wash. He was 68.

My turn: Alaska economy at a crossroads
Alaska and our economy are at a crossroads. If you live in rural Alaska, where heating fuel costs $7, $8 and $9 a gallon this winter, we're on a cliff. In good times leaders can get away with governing on auto-pilot. But from Barack Obama down to our local elected officials, today's leaders don't have that luxury. Easy soundbites won't get us very far. It's time for a dialogue in this state about real, needed solutions.

Outside editorial: Prosecuting Blackwater
Private security contractors have been a constant irritant in U.S.-Iraqi relations for years. Taking advantage of Iraq's lawless environment, they have been known to open fire with minimal provocation and seemingly little concern for the lives of innocent civilians.

In the shadow of self-reliance
The parking lots at Juneau's Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart were nearly full at 5 o'clock the morning after Thanksgiving. The scene was the same all over the country as shoppers eagerly sought to take advantage of below-basement bargain prices. Is it greed or economic survival that's responding to the nation's economic dive toward depression?

Lessons for Obama's infrastructure plans
President-elect Barack Obama put forward a plan this week for the largest government infrastructure project in a half-century. The idea is to revive the economy and create jobs for America's unemployed. But huge public works projects often fail to revive national economies. Consider the example of Japan in the 1990s.

Alaska Air Group announces changes
SEATTLE - The parent of Alaska Airlines has announced several changes in its executive ranks, including a new president for the carrier.

ACS phone, Internet customers back online
JUNEAU - About 600 Juneau customers lost phone and Internet lines with Tuesday's power outages, and Alaska Communications Systems finished restoring the last of them Wednesday.

Plea deal delayed for Alaska woman
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Mesa County prosecutors want to talk with the parents of an Alaska woman accused of killing her newborn baby before offering her a plea agreement.

Young gives up key post in Legislature
WASHINGTON - Rep. Don Young of Alaska has stepped down under pressure as lead Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee, saying he wants to focus on clearing his name in a corruption investigation.

First Exxon payments reach banks
ANCHORAGE - Plaintiffs in the Exxon Valdez lawsuit are starting to receive their settlement money, nearly 20 years after the tanker spilled 11 million gallons of crude into Prince William Sound.

Stranded workers, rescuers battle extreme weather
KODIAK - With winds blowing 50 mph, in near-whiteout conditions, four men threaded their way through a hazardous landscape full of icy ravines, cliffs and ponds. Equipped with GPS receivers and snowshoes, the men would climb to 2,800 feet in what became an exhaustingly long rescue lasting more than 13 hours.